More Salty Boob Adventures

More sun, salt and running round the BG route again!
This time with Alex from Run Like a Girl, we set off on Thursday evening at 4pm to do Keswick to Threkeld, in shorts again with fantastic weather. The views were supperb from the top of Blencathra, you could see for miles (a first for me as have only ever been up there in clag and dark!). After my trashing on the 3 day trip last month with Karen I decided to take Poles - blimey they worked - I felt great going up and down, although they may look wiered in the Lake District on a BG they work for me - cam off the rocky bit of Blencathra without them then took them out for the runnable bit - brilliant - no trashed quads - or am I just back to fitness again with the last rip up here and the short fast and steep fell races I have been doing. Whatever - it feels good to be back!
That night we had a meal in the pub - a very cheesy lasagne that didn't seem to have any lasagne ingredients!!! Oh well I will dream well even if I have no energy for running the next day!). Then we drove (we had left the car at Threkeld and got the bus to Keswick for the start) to a Youth Hostel is Buttermere, excellent place, with great showers and they sold wine - brilliant - our recovery drinks avaialable on tap! We guzzled some wine with pints of water as chasers, chatted with a mad man doing a C2C, he was very funny - young and knew everything about everything - to the point that you couldn't have a conversation with anyone else as he would but in and tell you all about it!!! Rest of room just had to listen!!! Breaky was a supperb array of anything you could think of that you needed for a breaky so we had lots of porridge and a cooked breaky. That would get us over the hills.
We then drove to Keswick and caught the bus to Threkeld and had a late start at 11am - well it was going to be a short section. The sun was out again and thehills were much easier this time - I love this feeling of being abale to run. We didn't set off to go at BG pace but we seemed to be making each top in the allotted time, this is a good confidence boost. We then did some navigation tests, where one goes one way and one the other to see which is best route, this worked well but takes time and is great as we now have our best routes on and off the top of Dollywaggon Pike and found the correct route of Seat Sandle so we know where we are going when we attempt the BG!
Our accommodation that night was a B&B about 2 km down the road towards Grassmere. Town End Farm - that I now consider the best B&B in the country - what a welcome - a cuppa and a cake, then we showerd and changed and went off down to the Travellers Rest for some grub - yummy Chicken Roast. The B&B had a lounge so we chilled there and watched the last Torchwood of the week long epic. Breaky was a supperb egg and bacon cooked breaky, made to order as she even asked if we wanted the eggs on the toast or not - great service! Then the farmer gave us a lift up to Dunmail, where we met alot of BG supporters as it was now 8am saturday morning. I missed Karen's Dad (who did the last recce with me and Karen and who was supported a Josh Nailor Round) by about an hour as he was on the leg coming in to Dunmail. Steel Fell was supprising quick climb for the look of it! Then it was easy running along the next few tops, doing our route finding again, definately following the path accross to Calf Crag and a cut accross was rubbish!!! Met some BGers coming through, one very fast guy who was up by 40 mins, another guy who was navving along with hi supporters - umm - we are planning to know the route so this will not be our senario! And another guy - Nick - a local runner who was struggling a bit so we joined them, chatted with the support guys and kept with them all the way to one of their wives Kate who was at Angle Tarn area. She gave us a cuppa and a biscuit and we chatted for about 20 mins then she showed the lead in to the best route up Bowfell. Much easier than the route me, Karen and John took the other week! My legs were still going well so was starting to feel like I could do this thing again - and maybe even get in 24 hours!!!!
We had a look at Broadstand but opted out as we didn't know it and didn't want to get stuck, am sure Alex would have been fine on it but then she's a brilliant climber whereas I am just a dabbler - would not have looked good if I'd got stuck and she'd only just got her ML assessment!!!! So up Foxes Tarn yet again - horrible going down to come back up again 0 but hey neither of us know Broadstand so better to be safe than sorry!
Found the excellent route off Scafell that Ross had told us about and joined the racers from the Wasdale Race at the bottom, had a cuppa, chatted with mates and eventually found Jon who'd bought our kit in to camp. Had luckily found out he was doing the event and as he lived just round the corner from me was willing to drive our kit up for us. Owe him a few beers for that one!
We had a shower nightmare - 20p's not making the water hot, then after suffering the shampooing with cold water, the water turns hot and then wouldn't stop!!! Confused - ummm!
Next - up to the Wasdale Head for some grub and to meet up with Rachael and David who'd done the race. Then luckily, as the heavens had opened, they gave us a lift back to campsite. We both had a rubbish nights sleep and then found out my trainer had fallen apart, the whole sole was delaminating.
The weather was rubbish, the tops were not visible and my shoe was not looking good, so we taped the shoe up and headed off on a lwer level route over Styhead Pas to Seatoller and a bus ride to Keswick. A large lunch in the Peddler Cafe and an early get away.
Home by six, even after picking my van up from Macclesfield after meeting a mate Nick at a random service station on the M6. Van had broken down last week and was now mended!
A supperb recce and fell fast enough to actually support on Catherine's (Run Like a Girl) BG this weekend.
Sorry no pix of the salty boobs this time - but am thinking I am the only person in the world with this affliction - no-one else seems to sweat there and cause salty rings!!! What am I sweating out!!!